Best credit monitoring services in 2025
Our testing and review are handled by a team of security professionals with experience in information security, data privacy, and consumer safety. Comprising information security professionals, data analysts, and tech journalism veterans.
We regularly attend meetings and conferences in our industry and network with identity theft protection companies across the globe to keep track of the most popular developments in identity theft tactics and protection strategies. This keeps our testing practices aligned with the times.
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The last few years have been challenging cybersecurity-wise. Experian reports an increasingly growing consumer concern for identity theft and stolen credit card scams. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission reveals investment scam losses increased from $1.7 billion in 2021 to $4.6 billion in 2023.
From my experience, education is a solid first line of defense against fraudsters, especially when combined with dedicated cybersecurity software. So, together with the Cybernews research team, we decided to test over a dozen of the most popular credit monitoring services in 2025 to help internet users combat cybercrime.
Below, you will find a detailed explanation of the 5 best credit monitoring services. I'll outline whether each works with all 3 major credit bureaus and offers real-time alerts and a sufficient identity theft insurance policy, reasonable pricing, and good customer support options. By the end of this article, you'll know exactly how the best credit monitoring services can protect your finances.
Top 5 best credit monitoring apps
- NordProtect – best budget credit monitoring
- Aura – excellent and feature-rich credit protection service
- Norton LifeLock – credit monitoring service with robust identity theft protection
- Webroot – inexpensive single-user plan
- IDShield – professional identity theft restoration assistance
How to pick the best credit monitoring service
To know how to pick a credit monitoring service, you need to know why exactly you need it in the first place. Perhaps you have already been threatened, or you simply know how bad the situation is regarding financial frauds. Withal, I recommend answering these questions to learn which credit monitoring service is the best:
- Does the service actually offer three-bureau credit monitoring? Without keeping track of all 3 major US credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax), it’s easy to miss out on suspicious credential activity, debts, and other errors that might only appear on one of the bureaus.
- Does the credit monitoring service alert you close to real-time? Cybercriminals tend to move fast; hence, every second counts if there’s a threat to your finances. That’s why it’s a must for a credit monitoring service to offer near-real-time security alerts.
- Is a larger spectrum of identity theft protection included? One of the most common financial fraud outcomes is identity theft. So, it’s important to ensure wide-scale protection for your ID. Look for a provider with additional ID theft protection features, such as dark web monitoring, personal data cleanup, and more.
- Is customer support available 24/7? There’s no fixed time when financial fraud happens, and there’s no time to stomp in one place. That’s why help should always be available. Whether it’s call, chat, or email support.
The best credit monitoring services — our detailed list
To help you find a reliable credit monitoring service, we have tested over a dozen identity theft protection apps and selected the best services in terms of provided functionality, price, customer support, and more. Let’s find them out:
1. NordProtect – excellent identity theft insurance policies
| 3 credit bureau monitoring: | No |
| Credit score tracking: | Monthly VantageScore 3.0 updates |
| Credit alerts: | Yes |
| Dark web monitoring: | Yes |
| Cybersecurity tools: | No |
| 24/7 customer support: | Yes |
| Current deal: | Get NordProtect, save up to 50% |
NordProtect can be your priority choice if you're OK with 1 credit bureau monitoring and seek additional identity theft protection benefits for an affordable price.
Why did we pick it?
Extra benefits. As a standalone product, NordProtect offers a great all-around identity protection solution. What is more, it includes online fraud coverage (up to $10,000) if you become a victim of an online fraud or scam. As for credit monitoring, credit activity tracking with NordProtect is super easy – you get regular updates on your credit score and a monthly summary right in your account.
Insurance. This service provides up to $1 million in identity theft insurance to cover legal fees and associated expenses, like travel costs and lost wages. Most of the time, you will encounter similar insurance plans due to legal regulations, but NordProtect adds unique value to its offering. You can get up to $50,000 in cyber extortion insurance to deal with the ramifications of this cybercrime type. NordProtect will cover you if criminals steal your data and demand payment to restore it (usually carried out via ransomware) or demand money to restore access to a hacked device.
Data monitoring. Right now, NordProtect monitors TransUnion credit reports using the VantageScore 3.0 model. Although it is sufficient to spot credit fraud attempts, I still recommend a service that works with all 3 credit bureaus, especially if you have a high credit score. On the other hand, NordProtect has a dark web scanner that looks for SSN, phone number, and email address leaks.
Pricing. NordProtect offers affordable pricing without compromising on quality. It is the cheapest provider on this list, but its insurance benefits are among the most extensive.
NordProtect costs $7.49/month for a 1-year plan and has a 30-day money-back guarantee to try the service out risk-free. You can also opt for its monthly plan for $179.88/month.
2. Aura – 3 credit bureau monitoring from the start
| 3 credit bureau monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit score tracking: | Monthly VantageScore reports |
| Credit alerts: | Yes |
| Dark web monitoring: | Yes |
| Cybersecurity tools: | Antivirus, VPN, password manager, data removal |
| 24/7 customer support: | Yes |
| Current deal: | Get up to 63% OFF Aura Identity Theft Protection |
Aura is my top credit monitoring choice due to its comprehensive security benefit offer. It monitors Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian credits from the starting plan, compared to Webroot or NordProtect, which only work with 1.
Why did we pick it?
Credit monitoring. The best credit monitoring service should work with all 3 major US credit bureaus, so there's no surprise Aura takes the top spot. Its most affordable Individual plan does just that and also packs additional cybersecurity software, so it's an excellent price-value bundle. Although I consider 1 credit bureau monitoring sufficient to identify possible fraud, getting reports from all 3 greatly expands the detection scope. On top of that, Aura provides timely financial transaction alerts, making it the best credit monitoring tool in 2025.
Personal data lookup. Keeping an eye on your credit reports can only get you so far. For all-encompassing online identity protection, I look for additional features like Dark Web monitoring, vehicle license plate lookup, or maybe even a data removal tool. Aura checks all of these boxes, but what I value most is that the majority of personal data lookup tools are available from the starter plan. For example, it will contact people's search sites to remove personal information, which prevents it from being exploited by cybercriminals.
Additional cybersecurity benefits. Cybersecurity services often come in bundles, so I advise you to see what's included to make it worth your money. Aura comes with a VPN, antivirus, and password manager but also offers up to $2 million in identity theft insurance, instant credit lock, and a secure storage vault.
Customer support. The reality is that credit monitoring cannot prevent cybercrime, but it can successfully mitigate its damages. The best credit monitoring services must have a professional, responsive, and available customer support team to stop credit fraud in action. Aura offers a 24/7 US phone number and an online chat option between 8 AM and 8 PM, an informative self-help knowledge base, and email support. It uses White Glove Resolution professionals to assist with identity recovery, from contacting required institutions to filling up paperwork and legal advice.
Aura's Individual plan starts from $10.00/month, which you can upgrade to Family for 5 adult protection for $20.00/month. It has a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
3. Norton LifeLock – reliable credit and personal data monitoring tool
| 3 credit bureau monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit score tracking: | Unlimited 1 bureau reports, annual 3 bureau reports |
| Credit alerts: | Yes |
| Dark web monitoring: | Yes |
| Cybersecurity tools: | Antivirus, VPN, password manager, secure cloud storage |
| 24/7 customer support: | Yes |
| Current deal: | Get up to 52% OFF Norton LifeLock! |
Norton is an experienced cybersecurity enterprise with over 3 decades of experience. It monitors all 3 credit bureaus starting from the Ultimate Plus plan. However, be prepared to open your wallet if you want to get LifeLock credit monitoring with one of the best antivirus services.
Why did we pick it?
Credit monitoring. LifeLock monitors only 1 credit bureau on its Standard plan but expands to all 3, starting from the Ultimate Plus plan. Additionally, it checks for 401(k) and other investment account scams, which is especially important for senior credit monitoring. Although I find its Standard plan too restricted for online privacy protection, it is also very affordable for a renowned brand service. LifeLock also offers TransUnion credit file lock to put a quick stop to identified fraudulent activities.
Insurance. In the worst-case scenario, a good identity theft insurance policy mitigates the damages and allows the victim to continue with their daily life. Unlike most competitors, LifeLock offers up to $3 million expense coverage instead of the industry-standard $1 million. The $3 million is equally split between stolen funds, personal expenses, and legal fees. In comparison, NordProtect settles for $1 million for everything but adds a unique $50,000 cyber extortion insurance, giving you some options to choose from.
Identity theft protection. Credit monitoring is only a part of the broader digital identity safety issue. Alongside financial notifications, LifeLock also monitors the dark web, looks for SSN leaks, alerts of data breaches and crimes committed in your name, offers phone takeover protection, and even scrutinizes social media accounts. This holistic approach is an efficient way to ensure LifeLock customers are safe. Still, I would like to see personal data removal from data brokers lists added to this otherwise robust identity theft protection bundle.
Additional benefits. Before I list everything that Norton has to offer, I must warn you that the Norton 360 with Lifelock bundle costs the whole $99.99 for the first year. However, it adds the following benefits: antivirus, VPN, password manager, 250GB of cloud backup and ransomware protection. AV-Test awarded Norton Antivirus a TOP Product badge 4 out of 5 tests in 2024, so this is one of the best antiviruses you can currently get.
LifeLock Standard plan starts from $7.50/month, going up to $19.99/month for Ultimate Plus and $99.99 for the first year for Norton 360 with LifeLock. It also has a 30-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
4. Webroot – cheapest credit monitoring for 1 person
| 3 credit bureau monitoring: | No |
| Credit alerts: | Yes |
| Dark web monitoring: | Yes |
| Cybersecurity tools: | Antivirus, password manager |
| 24/7 customer support: | Yes |
For a long time, Webroot focused on its antivirus app. However, it partnered with the US insurance giant Allstate in 2021 to expand its credit monitoring and identity theft protection features in Webroot Premium plan, securing a place among the best credit monitoring services in 2025.
Why did we pick it?
Pricing. Webroot offers the most affordable plan for 1 identity protection, which starts from an annual $64.99. This buys you $1 million in identity fraud insurance, 1 credit bureau, dark web, financial transactions monitoring, and customizable alerts. Additionally, it includes Webroot antivirus, but it struggled to catch all threats during our tests. You will also get a password manager, but its VPN costs an additional $59.99 for 3-device protection, which I consider is way overpriced.
Transaction notifications. You will notice that Webroot Premium uses a stand-alone app and an online platform at the same time. Most credit monitoring and identity theft protection features are found on its online platform, and I particularly enjoyed setting customizable financial transaction notifications. You can set up notifications for large withdrawals over $200.00, for the whole value change that's over 3%, for large transactions over $250.00, and more. You can customize it according to your spending patterns and Webroot alerts of anything that falls out of order.
Customer support. Webroot offers a US phone number for a direct chat. You can also look at topics using its knowledge base or send an email from Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 7:30 PM. On its website it also runs a community center so that you can get in touch with other Webroot users, whether for support or general conversation on cybersecurity topics.
Webroot Premium for 1 identity protection starts from an annual $64.99 and goes up to $124.99 for a Family plan that safeguards 10 identities. Its antivirus has a 14-day free trial and a 70-day money-back guarantee.
5. IDShield – broad personal data monitoring options
| 3 credit bureau monitoring: | No |
| Credit score tracking: | Monthly credit score tracking |
| Credit alerts: | Yes |
| Dark web monitoring: | Yes |
| Cybersecurity tools: | VPN, antivirus, password manager |
| 24/7 customer support: | Yes |
| Current deal: | Get IDShield, starting at $14.95/month! |
Why did we pick it?
Credit monitoring. This service lets you choose between 1 and 3 credit bureau monitoring, similar to Lifelock. IDShield is an excellent tool if you want to keep an eye on your credit situation regularly, as it provides continuous credit report updates. Its financial protection extends to payday loans and subprime monitoring, credit freeze assistance, real-time alerts, and hard credit inquiry alerts. Combine it with an up to $3 million insurance policy, and you get a tool that solves most credit monitoring challenges.
Identity theft protection. I recommend IDShield if you have exposed enough personal information online and want to fix the leak. This service offers SSN, dark web, social media, public and court records monitoring. But that's not all. It also looks up medical reports and sex offender lists and offers child protection. During our tests, IDShield successfully noticed and alerted us about large financial transactions, and I had no issues setting up personalized credit monitoring for future alerts.
Additional cybersecurity benefits. IDShield outlines 4 categories of safety benefits: identity protection, identity restoration, financial protection, and cybersecurity and device protection. Alongside its credit monitoring and identity theft protection, you will also get a VPN, password manager, data breach scanner, lost device protection, and antivirus. The only thing I do not like is its jurisdiction in the US, which is not perfect for maintaining VPN privacy. It also rents VPN services from Trend Micro, so consider Aura if online privacy protection is your top priority.
Customer support. IDShield offers licensed private investigator services in case of cybercrime. This specialist helps victims to come up with identity restoration plans, contact required institutions, and provides future safety tips. You can also contact IDShield customer support via US phone number from 7 AM to 7 PM from Monday to Friday. Alternatively, there's a live chat and email support options, so this service guides its clients every step of the way.
IDShield individual plan starts from $14.95/month for 1 credit bureau or $19.95/month for 3 credit bureau monitoring. It also offers a 30-day free trial and a duration money-back guarantee.
Comparison of the best credit monitoring services
To ease your journey of choosing the best credit monitoring service, I have compared each provider in terms of rating, features, price, and more.
| Rating | Price | Features | Customer support | |
| NordProtect | From $7.49/month |
| Guides, FAQ, email support | |
| Aura | From $10.00/month |
| Live chat, email, phone line, FAQ | |
| Norton LifeLock | From $7.50/month |
| Live chat, email, phone line, FAQ | |
| Webroot | From $64.99/year |
| Phone number, live chat, email, community center, FAQ | |
| IDShield | From $14.95/month |
| Phone number, live chat, email, FAQ |
Testing methodology
I cooperate with the Cybernews research crew to thoroughly test selected identity theft protection services using our established software testing methodology. In this case, I paid close attention to credit monitoring and financial transaction alerts. Here's what I considered essential features.
Credit bureau monitoring. Aura, monitors all 3 major US bureaus from the start plan. However, services like LifeLock and IDShield lets users choose between 1 or 3 monitoring. Meanwhile, NordProtect and Webroot monitor only 1 but pack valuable additional benefits.
Speedy alerts. Response time is paramount to notice criminal activities before anything bad happens. I verified that the chosen services issue as near real-time alerts as possible. Simultaneously, I looked for options like customizable Webroot financial transactions monitoring. Our research team helped me with in-house testing, launching fictitious and suspicious transactions to identify tested software response time and accuracy.
Personal data monitoring. Credit scams often involve personal information scraped from social networks or bought over illegal online markets. Whenever possible, we leaked units' personally identifiable information to see how fast a selected data leak scanner performs.
Additional cybersecurity software. Most credit monitoring services provide additional benefits, like an antivirus and a VPN. I verified whether antiviruses get sufficiently good reviews from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives independent testing laboratories and compared it to our in-house testing for the final result.
What is credit monitoring?
Credit monitoring is a virtual service that monitors a person’s credit report for signs of suspicious financial activity. It protects you from both – credit fraud and identity theft.
If your credit account is used without your permission, you lose your credit card, or your data gets leaked, a credit monitoring service sends you near-real-time alerts regarding threatening activity.
Moreover, top services that offer credit monitoring services, such as Aura, offer three-bureau credit monitoring. Hence, you get a convenient way to check your credit reports whenever needed without additional hassle.
Overall, a credit monitoring service is a great way to track whether there have been any unknown changes in your credit account. This way, you can protect your finances soon enough to avoid identity theft and big financial losses.
How credit monitoring works
Initially, consumers use credit monitoring services to avoid identity theft. However, these services also track credit reports (detailed credit history) and credit scores (consumer’s creditworthiness).
Robust credit monitoring services inform users of any doubtful activity regarding their credit accounts. It can be an added account member or a deleted one, an unknown loan under the account’s owner's name, large purchases, and more.
Even though credit monitoring doesn’t directly protect you from phishing, baiting, catfishing, and other threats, it allows you to detect dangerous changes sooner than later. As minutes matter regarding financial fraud and identity theft, being notified close to real-time is crucial.
Benefits of using a credit monitoring service
If there’s been a thought that you can do without a credit monitoring service, let me remind you in what ways it becomes beneficial:
- 24/7 credit monitoring. To get rid of a constant hassle, getting a credit monitoring service is a smart move. It constantly tracks changes in your credit accounts or bureaus. Whether it’s an added or removed account member, a new loan, or a large purchase.
- Close to real-time security alerts. Whenever a change happens in any of your credit accounts, credit monitoring services alert you as soon as possible. Catching criminal activity on time can save you lots of money, nerves, and your identity.
- Financial insurance. Most security companies that have credit monitoring services included offer financial insurance. The coverage can be up to $1,000,000 and apply to cases when your ID is stolen, you’re threatened with ransomware, your funds are stolen, and other situations.
- Additional features. Some services offer additional credit monitoring tools. These can include a monthly credit scores tracker, a credit lock system, investment accounts monitoring, and more.
Is there any free credit monitoring service?
Yes, there are free credit monitoring services. However, this depends on your needs and expectations. After all, free services tend to offer more limited opportunities.
Credit Karma is one free credit monitoring service I’m familiar with. It monitors credit reports from Equifax and TransUnion, yet it doesn’t include Experian, the most important of all bureaus, as it provides the most thorough credit information. Moreover, free credit monitoring services monitor fewer credit accounts, so you can’t stay up to date with all your existing credit cards. Finally, paid credit monitoring services are more likely to give you close to real-time safety alerts, while free services might react slower.
Overall, if you have already gone through financial fraud or have severe concerns about your financial security, only a premium credit monitoring service can efficiently benefit you. With robust providers, you can add several credit accounts to your profile. Additional features include credit score tracking, investment accounts monitoring, identity theft protection, and more. What’s more, IDShield also offers a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is credit monitoring worth it?
Some argue about whether a credit monitoring service is worth it. After all, everything depends on the circumstances. Your country of residence, financial and social situation, past experiences – everything falls to be a motive for getting a credit monitoring service. Yet, even if you feel safe and sound about your financial security, an additional security layer is always a good idea.
You can effortlessly keep track of your credit accounts with reputable providers, such as Aura. It provides alerts regarding changes in your credit accounts and monitors credit reports from all major credit bureaus. It also offers all-around protection against other cyber threats, like ID theft, malware, and other viruses.
We hope this article has helped you to choose the best credit monitoring service and answer all the burning questions.
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FAQ
What is the best credit monitoring service?
Aura offers the best credit monitoring services. It monitors all 3 major credit bureaus from the starter plan, so you don't have to pay anything extra. Aura also uses White Glove Resolution services, which is an efficient way of dealing with credit fraud to minimize damages.
Why should I monitor my credit score?
The number of financial frauds has been increasing over the past few years, so tracking your credit score can help prevent getting tricked. Moreover, it’s an excellent tool for tracing your financial situation and planning your credits according to it.
How much do credit monitoring services cost?
My top credit monitoring service – Aura – starts from $10.00/month. However, I also recommend checking out NordProtect if you require additional insurance benefits and actionable security alerts, which starts from $7.49/month. Meanwhile, Norton LifeLock starts from $7.50/month and packs one of the best antiviruses.
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